Daily Archives: March 20, 2010

St. John’s has been a dominant force in boys lacrosse in both the Texas High School Lacrosse League and the Southwest Preparatory Conference from the very beginning.

The Mavericks formed the first high school program in Texas in 1987, won the inaugural SPC crown in 2001 and have claimed four state titles in all (1988, 1990, 2001 and 2006).

But St. John’s head coach Sam Chambers says staying on top doesn’t get any easier, with the competition becoming tougher every year.

“The playing field is much more spread out now,” Chambers said. “The talent pipeline is much deeper, and you have teams like Cinco Ranch, Strake Jesuit and Memorial that have even more depth than we do. In some ways, we have to reinvent ourselves and figure out a new way of doing things to stay relevant.”

As the Mavericks are discovering, it’s much easier said than done. Memorial rallied past St. John’s 10-8 earlier this month in a THSLL Division I-South District counter, snapping a 15-year losing streak in the series.

Earlier in the season, the Mavericks fell to The Woodlands 14-9 and state powerhouse Highland Park 13-1. But St. John’s has notched impressive victories over Round Rock McNeil 8-5, district newcomer St. Thomas 12-7 and SPC foe San Antonio St. Mary’s Hall 18-1. Also, the Mavs went 2-1 in St. Petersberg, Fla. last week against teams from New England.

The next THSLL Division I-South District counter game is at Episcopal at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

St. John’s has played well, even in defeat. Against Memorial, the Mavericks outshot the Mustangs 44-20, although they were shut out in the first and last periods.

However, Chambers said there’s no questioning St. John’s talent. Or its overall experience, with 11 seniors and eight juniors on its roster.

“We have a solid returning core from last year’s team, so the leadership is there, but we also have lots of new faces,” said Chambers, whose 2009 squad finished 15-3 and lost to Strake Jesuit in the South District city finals. “It’s taken a while for everyone to learn their roles. We have to somehow fit all the pieces together, and that’s the fun part of coaching.”

St. John’s is leaning heavily on its two senior captains, Reed Daniel and Zach Gaitz. Both are four-year varsity players and returning all-SPC performers.

Daniel, a midfielder, was an all-stater last season and is making a case for a repeat selection. Daniel, who has already committed to the University of the South in Sewanee, Tenn., powers St. John’s in scoring with 17 goals and six assists through the first six games.

“Reed is just a fantastic player in every sense,” Chambers said. “He’s one of our key guys on offense. He wins a lot of face-offs. He’s a terrific defender. I expect him to do very well his senior year and go on and have a great college career, too.”

Gaitz, a midfielder/attackman, has kept pace with Daniel. Gaitz, who is headed to Wesleyan University in Middletown, Conn., has tallied 10 goals and five assists, including a pair of goals against Memorial.

“In the past, we’ve used Zach more on defense, but he’s become a bigger part of our offense,” Chambers said. “He’s a tenacious defender and a tremendous all-around player.”

But Chambers said St. John’s must be more balanced to be a contender.

Gaitz anchors the attack along with senior William Jewett, junior Jordan Schuler (11 goals) and sophomore Douglas Berkman. Junior Blake Upchurch also is getting more playing time.

Daniel powers the first midfield line along with seniors Jett Williams, William Payne and Max Susman, while junior Parker Schiffer is the face-off middie.

After two early district losses, St. John’s has to find its next gear, but Chambers has no doubt that the Mavericks will quickly return to its winning ways.

“We’re going to be a good team,” said Chambers, whose squads have advanced to the city playoffs 17 times in the last 20 years.

“We’ve had a few setbacks, but we’ll learn from them and come back even stronger.”

 http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nb/bellaire/news/6921003.html